Never post or upload your Miner Wars log file or config file to public places (because it contains your password).

Bug Reporting

The best way how to report a problem is to send as an email: support@minerwars.com
Your emails are never going to be ignored, whereas posts on forums may get missed.

Write a synopsis of what you were doing while the error happened.

Attach the log file: MinerWars.log. This file will reset itself after the game is run, so IF you had an error it is CRUCIAL that you get THAT log file to go with the error/crash.

Keep in mind taking a screenshot of the bug or video may also help - but it's not mandatory.

To get to the log folder, look up on your computer for: MinerWarsUserFolderOpener.exe. After executing, it will show folder where Miner Wars stores its local data - together with MinerWars.log

Other way how to find the log file is this path:C:\Users\(name of your Windows user)\AppData\Roaming\MinerWars\minerwars.log

What if you can't find the AppData Folder?
While in the (name of your Windows user) press Alt to bring up the 'File' interface and got to the 'Tools' Menu, under it you will see your Folder Options. Then go to the View tab and click the option that says "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" so you are able to see hidden folders, then you should be able to see it.

Very low FPS with high-end GPU

When you experience very low FPS, with high-end GPU even on normal, you're probably running on integrated GPU (when you have one). Game chooses automatically best GPU to run on, but some technologies make it harder, especially nVidia Optimus.

When you experience these problems you can do following:

disable integrated GPU (best in BIOS)

or configure your Nvidia GPU: Instructions: If you're using a newer laptop that you know has an NVidia graphics card, try checking your Optimus settings. Open the "NVIDIA Control Panel" from your start menu. On the left hand side, under "Select a task...", open the "3D Settings" tree, and select "Manage 3D Settings". Now on the righthand panel, click the "Program Settings" tab. Under "1. Select a program...", click "Add", navigate to your \Steam\steamapps\common\MinerWars directory and select "MinerWars.exe". Under "2. Select the preferred graphics...", choose "High-performance NVIDIA processor", then (VERY IMPORTANT) click "Apply" in the bottom right.

Inconsistent FPS, lags

When you experience lags, it best to keep only one Graphics card enabled and disable other one. Integrated cards sometimes affect performance even when game is running on dedicated card.

Another common problem with laptops is overheating, computer then reduces CPU frequency to lower the temperature and game begins to lag.

To find out whether your computer is overheating, you can use Resource monitor:

Run Resource Monitor: Choose Start > Run > resmon

Click on CPU tab

On the right side of the window, there's chart "CPU" or "CPU - Total" (notice blue line)

Run MinerWars

Switch from Fullscreen to Window (to keep an eye on CPU chart)

When playing MinerWars, blue line should be on the top

This is OK:

This is overheating:

To prevent overheating, you can buy Laptop cooling pad, play on desk instead in bed, remove dust from laptop (go to professional) or reduce maximum CPU frequency, described here:

Visual problems

Problem: Objects are occasionally blinking, it is same in all render qualities.

Solution: Some graphics cards have compatibility issues with hardware occlusion queries. You can disable occlusion queries for a little performance cost at Video options.

Problem: My screen is whole purple!

Solution: Some ATI graphics cards have compatibility issues with HDR render targets. You can disable HDR at Video options.

Audio problems

Problem: There is audio in intro video, but there is no audio in the game and menu.

Solution: This is caused by SoundBlaster drivers, which breaks XACT sound processing. You need to disable all sound enhancements in SoundBlaster driver properties.

Can't login, server is returning unknown response

Problem: I can't login to the game (although login credentials for the website work fine). I get an error message saying "server is returning unknown response"

Solution: It may be caused by corrupted or wrong version of your .NET framework. Try repairing (re-installing) your .NET framework. You can download it from Microsoft directly or from some mirror sites, just google for ".net framework 4" and use trustworthy download source (ie. Microsoft website).

Can't login, timezone and time error

Problem: I can't login to the game (although login credentials for the website work fine). I get an error message saying "Please check your timezone and time. Valid timezone and time (withing tolerance) is required to connect to server."

Solution: This may be caused by wrong timezone or time. Please check your timezone is correct.

1. Right mouse click on the clock in the lower right hand corner of the screen

2. Left click on Adjust Date / Time

After setting correct timezone, please check time.

Network errors

Problem: I get network errors or can't connect to multiplayer.

Solution:
This may be caused by various reasons, please run Miner Wars Network Diagnostics tool, it will check whether you can connect to game servers or not and offer you a solution.

Crashes during loading

Problem: The game often/always crashes during loading.

Solution: There may be some malware/virus blocking Windows services required to run the game. Please run some anti-virus/anti-malware software. This solution already helped our users run Miner Wars as well as other games!

Crashes right after logo, right after loading

Problem: The game often/always crashes after title logo or loading.

Solution: We have investigated that some broken DirectShow filters can crash our game when we try to play video. For example, some versions of DirectVobSub. If you are using such software, please ensure it is up-to-date.

Forgotten Passwords

IMPORTANT: Remember that password is case-sensitive. This is the most common cause why people can't log in.

Broken Controls

"I cannot control the ship, I can press F1 and get the help menu, I can press ESC and get the settings menu but I cannot fly the ship. Instead the ship automatically spins around, zooms in and starts blasting everything its got in every direction."

Solution A: Turn off User Account Control in Windows.

You can find these settings easily via searchbar where you start typing: user account con... - open it and drive slider to very bottom (never notify state) and hit OK button (you need to be administrator to do this and you may need to restart also).

Solution B - Run as Administrator: You may also be able to simply right click on the program and click on "Run as Administrator". I'm not sure, but I have found this to be an optional solution for other such issues. If it does work, you can open the application's properties click on "Advanced" and then tick the "Run as Administrator" box so you don't have to do it every time.

Reinstall DirectX

Unable to connect to server - firewall etc.

If you can't connect to the Miner Wars server and you are sure your internet connection is working, the reason may be in restrictive firewall settings or restrictive settings at your internet service provider / proxy / NAT. In order to play Miner Wars and be able to connect to the server, the following ports need to be open for TCP: Public Build 4500 and 4505, Test Build 14500 and 15000.

In order to play multiplayer, the following ports need to be open for UDP: Public Build 4112, Test Build 14112.

The Game Won't Update or It Says It's Outdated

The release we made on 30th August 2011 required a new installation. The game is not able update itself. Therefore you need to uninstall any Miner Wars from your computer and then manually remove all its files (there may be left files such as MinerWarsLauncher_01_000_051.exe in your Miner Wars folder).

Installer file is not compatible with windows version you are running

Problem: I can't run the installer on my PC - Windows do not support the version of the program. I have tried running it in compatibility mode and nothing seems to work.

Solution: Your installer file has been corrupted during the download process, please try to download it again. You can also try different mirrors or download it via torrent if this problem persists.

Unable to Run Installer / Update To New Version

Some operations under Windows 7, including instalation of a new software and updates, require approval of administrator (ie. user with admin rights) on your computer. When you try to install Miner Wars or when the game finds out about a new version and tries to auto-update itself, admin approval is required. If you are logged in as admin (ie. you have admin rights), everything should be OK. Also if you run the installer/updater as a basic user, a window requiring admin approval should appear - that is OK as well. However, if you have set "Never Notify" as to the changes to your computer, you would not know about the application requiring approval and so the game would NOT be able to update.

Solution: Run "Change User Account Control Settings" (type this into the windows search bar) and move the ladder from Never notify to any of the above levels. When the notification as to installation/update appears, just approve it (or let admin approve it).

What are the differences between Test Build and Public Build?

(1) The Test Build and the Public Build both run on a different server and with different user names, but with the same customer account.

(2) All new features go to the Test Build first – and once all the newly implemented features become stable and polished (which may take up to 1-2 weeks), they make their way into the Public Build.

(4) The Test Build offers some extra developmental features – for example, we have a lot of keys under F1...F12. All of them are available in the Test Build, but will never be available in the Public Build. F11 and F12 are especially interesting, you can play with various developer settings, see hidden buffers, enable / disable lights, see game statistics etc.

How To Use The Test Build For The First Time?

Step 1.: If you used only the Public Build before, you have to download a separate Test Build game installer.

Step 2.: Once the Test Build is downloaded and updated, run the game and use your Test Build credentials (login, password). The login may differ from the original one, so see your profile for details. The password is the same for the Test Build and the Public Build unless you personally changed it.

Didn't find the answer you were looking for? Check the FAQ page for more info.